London: A 12-year-old Australian boy, Declan McLean-Pauley, who is in remission from lukemia was granted his request to "blow stuff up" with an elite police squad.
Make-A-Wish Australia teamed up with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to help Declan fulfil his wish. Declan, who was diagnosed in 2015, got to detonate explosive devices during controlled training exercises at the AFP headquarters. He was taken behind-the-scenes at a police training facility, participated in a hostage-rescue exercise.
He also rode in an armoured car, a speed boat and even got to meet the Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull. Mr Turnbull wrote, “Declan hasn’t been well lately but today found out what it was like to sit in the prime minister's chair and visited the cabinet room before exploring the rest of Parliament House.”
“What a great thing to do,” Opposition Leader Bill Shorten replied. “Declan looks right at home.” Assistant Commissioner David Sharpe from the Australian Federal Police said it was not hard to find volunteers for the exercise. “Declan’s wish was to blow something up and obviously that’s something we can do,” he told the BBC.
“But this is not just about Declan. It’s about his recovery, his family and delivering something for them as well,” he said. Make-A-Wish had approached Declan during his seven months of chemotherapy treatment. “What inspired Declan’s wish, I think was for
him to do something different and something to take his mind off his illness,” said Declan’s mother Belinda. “You don’t realise how important these wishes are until you’re receiving one.”
The Make-A-Wish Foundation was founded in 1980, with the ambition of granting memorable experiences to children with life-threatening medical conditions. — Agencies
